Wherever This Goes
by BiteMyTongue
Summary: It was simple, until it wasn't. Bella didn't know that when she became friends with Kol that it would bring Klaus into her life. After falling in love with the feared hybrid she comes to the conclusion that maybe he's not meant to be hers.


Author's Note

-Page Break-

Jeremy exited the bus station and looked around the busy station. His cousin should've been here by now, he reached into his pocket to take out his phone to see if he could call her.

"HEY! Jeremy!" Someone shouted behind him.

Jeremy turned to see his older cousin waving him over. He smiled and grabbed his bags, "Hey, Elle."

Bella smiled and wrapped him up in a tight hug. "Sorry I'm a little late, I got caught up at work. Come one, I took off the rest of the afternoon for you."

Jeremy smiled and followed Bella to a sleek car. "Whoa, this is yours?"

Bella nodded happily. "It's a Triumph TR6, it took me forever to get it in this Royal Blue color. I had to rebuild the engine, but it runs like a dream."

Jeremy put his bag in the back and looked to Bella. "So, being a mechanic is actually fun for you?"

Bella scoffed as she jumped in and started the car. "Are you kidding? It's a fucking blast! I have my own shop now."

Jeremy looked over at her in surprise, "You do?"

Bella nodded, "The previous owner was going to sell it, so I stepped in and bought it from him. I had to use the last of my savings and what not, but it was worth it. I had the entire garage re-done and I'm bringing in a lot of business since I started fixing up classical cars. I've had people from out of state come in for me to do their cars. It's seriously the greatest thing I've ever done."

"So this car is one of the perks of your job?" Jeremy questioned as he looked over the car.

"I suppose this is a good perk." Bella said as she drove. "So, what exactly did you do that made Elena send you here?"

"You know, the usual." Jeremy said with a shrug. "I got too involved into the supernatural world for her taste. She thinks she got her boyfriend to compel me to leave."

Bella shook her head, "But she doesn't know that you have a vervain necklace?"

Jeremy nodded, "That's right, thanks by the way."

Bella smiled. "You are welcome. It's not so bad here, Jer. You'll enjoy San Diego."

Jeremy smiled, "Yeah, hopefully. I just hope it's not too bad here, and you know there's no vampires."

"There are vampires, but they're more about the party life." Bella said as she drove, she pulled into a two story house.

Jeremy's eyes practically popped out of his head as he saw his dream car in her driveway. "You have a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro!"

Bella chuckled as she parked next to the car. She stepped out and walked over to the Camaro. "I found it a few months ago." She said as she ran her hand alongside it. "The engine was shit, so I got a good deal for it from the owner. I had to put in a lot of hours to fix up the engine, it's practically new. I recently had it repainted, the previous owner painted it a hideous pink, so you know I had to get that taken care of."

Jeremy looked at the outside of the car. "Black and white." He said with a nod of his head. "It looks perfect, Elle."

Bella nodded a smirk coming on her face as she saw her little cousin's reaction. "Take a look inside."

Jeremy opened the door to the car and peeked his head inside he furrowed his brow as he saw the leather seats were stitched to have his name on them. "Elle?"

Bella dangled a pair of keys in front of him. "It was going to be a birthday gift. I guess you can have it a little early."

"No way." Jeremy said as he grabbed the keys. He moved and hugged Bella tightly. "You're the best, Elle."

"Thanks." Bella said with a smile. "Look, there's a Pizza shop not that far from here called Rosie's, I placed an order, so why don't you take your car and go pick it up."

Jeremy grinned, "I'll be right back, Elle."

Bella nodded she reached to the back of her car and grabbed Jeremy's bag. "Don't get hurt, Jer."

-Page Break-

Jeremy sighed, "Let me get this straight, you were sent here by your brother to keep track of me and if he needs you to you have to kill me."

Kol nodded, "That about sums up my tasks while I'm here."

Jeremy stood grabbing his backpack. "And here I thought I wouldn't have to be dealing with vampires." He looked over at Kol as he joined him in walking to this car. "You're here for me, but you're not going to do anything to my cousin, right? She has nothing to do with this."

Kol rolled his eyes, "Relax, mate." He said clapping Jeremy on the back. "Your cousin isn't my concern; I won't just kill her for my own amusement."

Jeremy sighed, "That's good news, she would've been upset if after all this time she died by a vampire attack."

"She's aware that vampires exist?" Kol questioned curiously.

Jeremy nodded he unlocked his car and threw his backpack in the back before looking back at Kol. "Get in, it's just a lot easier for the both of us if you get in the car rather you following behind me."

Kol smirked, "I suppose it would be easier this way. Following you around can get tedious."

Jeremy got in the car and watched as Kol slipped into the passenger seat. "Why exactly are you doing what your brother tells you too?"

Kol shrugged, "Why did you move across the country all because Elena told you to?"

"I see this calls for a change of subject." Jeremy said as he began to drive.

Jeremy parked in the parking lot of Swan's and looked over at Kol. "Come on, if you're going to be around all time you might as well meet my cousin. Just you know, don't flirt with her."

Kol smirked, "I don't think you'll be that lucky, mate."

Jeremy walked inside he stopped the man he knew was Ryan, Bella's second in command. "Hey, is Elle around?"

"Yeah, all the way in the back. You'll see her." He said before walking past him.

Kol looked around strangely, "Your cousin works here?"

Jeremy chuckled, "She owns this place." Jeremy paused as he saw Bella's heels sticking out from the bottom of the car. "I thought you were supposed to wear proper footwear on the job."

Bella laughed lightly. "Yeah, well, when one of your worker's pukes all over the interior of a car and has to head home you can't waste time on silly little things like shoes."

"Hey, I brought a vampire with me." Jeremy said as he leaned against the wall looking at Kol as the vampire looked around at the tools.

"You don't think it's weird that your only friend so far is a vampire?" Bella asked as she slid out from underneath the car. She leaned over the hood needing to finish up the work on this car.

"I think it's stranger that he was sent by Elena's arch nemesis to keep an eye on me in case I need to be used as a bargaining tool." Jeremy said with a slight shrug of his shoulder. "You know the usual vampire business."

"Or to be killed, it really all depends on my brothers' mood." Kol interrupted as he continued to look around.

Bella chuckled, "It sounds like you both have a solid friendship ahead of you."

"You know, Elle." Jeremy said with a smirk as he always found Bella's ability to stay calm in any situation refreshing. "I'm slightly offended you're not worried about my well-being."

"Jer," Bella said with a sigh. "I am worried for your wellbeing, but I'm also not stupid enough to think that your friend here will just stop his task if I ask him nicely. Sometimes you just have to have faith that everything ends up okay. Not to mention that if you've made it this far without getting yourself killed you're obviously doing something right."

Bella stepped back and grabbed the rag she had on the edge of the hood. She smiled at her work and closed the hood. She turned around and took in the boy that was next to Jeremy. "I never got your name."

"It's Kol, daring." Kol said turning his head and giving Bella a charming smile.

Bella grinned, "See Jer, you have yourself a vampire with manners, that's something to be happy for. I'd shake your hand, Kol, but they're a bit dirty. I'm Bella."

Kol smirked, "Lovely name, describes you just perfectly."

Bella smirked, "Charming." She said with a laugh as she walked past the two and headed into the front of the building where the waiting room and offices were at. She turned her head to see both Kol and Jeremy following after her. "So, what are you two doing here?"

"Just wanted you to meet Kol." Jeremy said with a smirk. "Seeing as he's going to be around for quite a bit."

Kol smirked, "I just make things more interesting."

-Page Break-

Bella handed Kol a plate of pasta before she took a seat in the armchair. A routine had been easily made between the three of them of having dinner every night and on night's like that evening they would eat as they watched a movie. Bella looked over at Kol as he emptied a blood bag into his glass. "Kol." Bella whined as she flinched back in disgust. "Do you really have to do that?"

Kol looked over at her and smirked, "I can stop if you allow me to drink from that pretty little neck of yours."

Jeremy rolled his eyes as he sat on the opposite side of the couch as Kol. "Dude, we've had this conversation, I'd really appreciate it if you stopped saying anything about drinking from Elle."

Kol chuckled, "Then I suppose I can go back to my glass."

"You're rinsing that out before it goes in the dishwasher." Bella said as she went back to her food.

Kol smirked, "I rather just throw it in the trash."

Jeremy chuckled, "We'll be running out of glasses if that's what you're going to start doing."

Bella paused the movie as Kol's phone started to ring. "Since when do you ever get phone calls?"

Kol grabbed his phone and sighed, "I was in such a good mood, now I have to speak to my brother."

Jeremy smirked, "Maybe this is the call where he tells you snap my neck."

Kol rolled his eyes and answered the phone. "Yes, brother?"

"Are you doing as I asked of you?" Klaus questioned through the phone.

"Of course I am," Kol said in a bored tone. "What else do I have to do with my endless amount of time?"

"What is he doing at this very moment?" Klaus questioned curiously.

Kol looked over at Jeremy, "Spilling pasta all over himself, it's as if he needs a bib to eat."

Jeremy shrugged his shoulders and continued to eat.

"I'm done with him, you can return." Klaus said as his tone became suddenly bored. "I've gotten what I wanted."

Kol sighed, "I'm rather fond of California, it's quite easy to feed here."

Bella smirked at Kol as she took a forkful of food into her mouth. She covered her mouth as to not laugh as she saw Kol glare at her for a moment.

"Better go, I have other things to do." Kol said hanging up the phone. "Not a word."

Jeremy chuckled, "Are we not supposed to mention that you've come to enjoy our company?"

Bella laughed, "Come on, Kol." She said in a teasing tone. "Just admit it that you find us two humans fun to be around."

Kol stood he blurred over and took the control from Bella and started the movie. "I believe there's a rule that states that there isn't supposed to be any talking in movies."

-Page Break-

Bella hesitantly handed Kol the keys to her car. "Not a scratch."

Kol took the keys and rolled his eyes at her. 6 months knowing her and he still didn't understand her attachment to the car. "I'll bring it back in one piece."

Bella sighed, "I'll have your car done by the afternoon. Come by before dinner so I can get my car back."

Kol grinned, "No worries, I'll return. I'll see you in a few hours, darling."

Bella crossed her arms over her chest as she watched Kol leave the shop. "You better get me something special for Christmas!" She shouted as he reversed the car.

She didn't head back inside until he was completely out of sight. She had only lent him her car after there was a problem with the transmission in his car. Kol had purchased a Ferrari F80, but had taken it to Bella at the first sight of trouble. Now her hands trembled as she let him take her favorite car away.

Kol reached over and grabbed his phone as he was meeting Jeremy at the Mall, he suspected the call was from Jeremy most likely wondering where he was. He answered it not paying attention to the Caller ID. "Yes?"

"Where are you?" Rebekah's voice rang through the phone.

Shock passed through Kol's face for a moment before he answered his sister. "Why must you ask?"

"Nik and I have arrived here to see you, but you're not at your home." Rebekah said, "In fact, your landlord has stated that you never really lived here."

Kol sighed, he had been staying with Bella and Jeremy almost as long as he had been in San Diego. "What are the two of you doing here?" Kol said as he arrived at his destination already seeing Jeremy waiting at his car for him.

"We became curious to what motivated you to stay here for so long." Rebekah said, "Now where are you?"

"I'll be there in 30 minutes." Kol said hanging up the phone. "My brother and sister are in town."

Jeremy frowned, "That doesn't sound good, what are you going to do?"

"See what they want." Kol said he tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. "We're going to have to wait on our plans."

Jeremy rolled his eyes, "You're waiting, I'm going to go get my new phone and I might as well buy you your gift.

"What's the point if you're just going to break it? And I want something expensive." Kol said with a smirk as he put the car in reverse. "I'd warn, Bella. She might not be getting her car back by dinner."

Jeremy chuckled "We both know if she doesn't get this car back by then she'll come after you."

Kol smirked, "She won't be able to keep up."

Jeremy rolled his eyes but headed inside the mall heading towards the electronic store. He and Kol had decided they'd spend the day trying to find Bella a gift for Christmas which wasn't too far away. He supposed they could do it another day after school.

Kol pulled into the apartment complex and sighed as just as he expected a large SUV was parked in his spot. He parked beside it and got out heading to the room that was meant to be his. He took in a deep breath and entered the apartment.

"Where have you been?" Rebekah questioned as soon as she saw her brother. "This place is covered in dust."

"Hello to you as well, Rebekah." Kol said setting the keys to the car down on the table by the door. "Why have you both travelled so far to check up on me?"

Klaus turned to his brother catching the calm behavior that Kol was having at the moment. "I became curious." Klaus said stepping forward. "What have you been doing here?"

"I haven't been on a bloody massacre if that's what you're asking." Kol said in annoyance as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't suppose you'll be leaving anytime soon?"

Klaus smirked, "Is there a reason you want us to leave so soon?"

Kol shrugged his shoulders. "Not to be rude, but you both ruin everything."

Rebekah scoffed, "We came here to see you, Kol. The least you can do is act like you're happy to see us."

Kol sighed in annoyance. "If you want me to be glad to see you, the least you can do is tell me is why you're here."

-Page Break-

Bella entered her office to see Jeremy sitting in her desk chair fiddling with his phone. "Is that new?"

Jeremy looked up and smirked, "Yeah, my contract was up it was about time I got a new one. It's pretty cool right?"

Bella smiled, "I thought you and Kol were going to buy my present."

Jeremy shrugged, "Right, we were going to, but other things came up. We're going to do it later. Kol's siblings came into town, he went to go see what they wanted."

"That sucks." Bella said she shrugged off her work jumpsuit leaving her in a plain t-shirt and jeans something she usually wore underneath her work clothes. "I'm not getting my car, am I?"

"Not tonight." Jeremy said with a shrug. "But, we can go get something to eat."

Bella smiled, "I suppose. What are you feeling like? Chinese? Pizza?"

"I was thinking that Italian place not that far from here." Jeremy said setting his phone down. "I passed by earlier and I really want to stop and get something."

"We'll order Kol something as well in case he shows up tonight." Bella said shrugging on her leather jacket. "Come on, we'll take your car. I don't want to step a foot inside Kol's car with food."

Jeremy nodded he walked out with Bella handing her his phone. "Can you choose something to listen to?"

Bella smirked, "How exciting, there's so many options!" She teased as she went through his music.

Bella stepped out of the car as they parked at the small restaurant. She turned her head as she felt something was wrong. She felt Jeremy stand next to her as they both stared at the road and the passing cars. Bella's eyes widened as she saw Kol in her car turning the corner just as some driver drove past a red light. "KOL!" Bella shouted as she saw his head crash straight into the steering wheel. She took off running instinct taking over to see if he was okay.

"Fucking asshole," A big burly man said as he got out of the truck that hit Kol. "Can't fucking watch where he's going. This truck is new!"

Bella's eyes flashed in anger, she walked towards the man. "He wasn't the one who ran a red light!" She wrinkled her nose as the man smelled of liquor. "You're fucking drunk!"

"Look little girl," The man said puffing out his chest. "You need to step the fuck off! I'm not above hitting a girl." He threatened.

Bella laughed, "Yeah, I wish you would asshole, I'll have you arrested on assault along with drinking and driving."

"Look, bitch." The man said his words slurring slightly. "That asshole got in my way this was his fault."

"That asshole is my family, and there are enough witnesses around here to prove that you ran a red light and the smell on your breath is enough to prove that you were intoxicated. You call him an asshole one more time and I'll show you who the real bitch is." Bella said in anger.

Bella stared the man down not backing off it wasn't just the anger of having her car crashed to ruins, it was seeing someone she genuinely cared about in such a bad state. Bella saw the man lift his hand to hit her but she stepped back missing his weak hit. She stepped forward and kneed the man in the crotch sending him to his knees. She balled her hand into a fist and punched him in the face putting all her force into it.

"Who's the bitch now, asshole?." Bella said as the man was knocked out cold. She turned around fixing her jacket and saw that she had four amused pair of eyes on her. She shrugged and saw Kol leaning against the car using a handkerchief to wipe the blood off his face.

"Didn't know you cared so much, darling." Kol said with a smirk. "I've never had someone defend my honor before."

Bella rolled her eyes, "It was less about you and more about my car."

Kol chuckled, "Bella I'd like you to meet my older brother Klaus and my younger sister Rebekah. This is Bella."

Bella smiled, "I'd hold out my hand, but I think I broke a finger on that asshole's face."

"It was oddly bigger than the average size." Jeremy said in amusement. "Cops are on their way."

Bella nodded and walked over to her car. She sighed as she saw how busted up it was. There was no way that she would be able to fix it up. The entire front side was crashed in, it was nothing more than parts now. "If I hadn't witnessed it, I would be blaming this on you."

Kol chuckled, he put his arm around Bella's shoulders. "It was time you got a new one."

Bella glared at him. "I'm not above crashing your car to make things even."

Klaus looked to Jeremy curiously as he was on his phone as Kol helped Bella onto the ambulance where they fixed her fingers. "Don't you care that your cousin has gotten hurt?"

Jeremy looked up and smiled, "Elle gets hurt really often and most times for stupid reasons, this is not one of the times I'm going to get worried. And Kol's got it under control, I'd just be in the way."

"Has he been staying with you for long?" Rebekah questioned, "He hasn't mentioned it."

Jeremy nodded, "He's been staying with us or the past few months. He and Elle get along so there wasn't trouble with him moving in with us."

"Are they romantically involved?" Klaus questioned as he watched their interaction.

Jeremy laughed, "No. Trust me, they're friends not anything more."

Bella groaned as the medic wrapped her fingers up.

He smiled at her, "Don't worry, they're just going to be a bit sore. Nothing to worry yourself over. A little rest and they should be back to their perfect state."

Bella smiled, "Thanks. So we're good to go?"

"Um yeah," The guy said looking over the paper. "You've been checked out and so has your friend so we're good. If you need anything else just let me know, I'm more than happy to help you out."

Bella jumped off the ambulance, "Thank you." She said as she walked away.

Kol looked at her strangely. "You're not even going to acknowledge the fact that he was flirting with you? I thought you lived for that sort of stuff."

Bella rolled her eyes, "Kol, I was busy hoping that I didn't break my fingers to really care what the guy was doing. Come on, they took away my car I might as well get the food I wanted to eat."

Kol chuckled, "Were you both really going to eat dinner without me?"

Bella shrugged, "I was going to get you the pasta you like."

-Page Break-

Bella yawned and got out of bed, she made her way to her bathroom and brushed her hair up into a ponytail getting it all out of her face. She brushed her teeth and washed her face before she walked back into her room and went straight to her closet and put on a pair of skinny jeans. She sighed and put on a light sweater and headed out of her room. Bella paused as she heard someone in the living room. She peeked her head into the living room, "Where is everyone?" She questioned Klaus as she entered the room.

"Rebekah was insisting that they allow her to enroll in school with them and then they said something about needing to get you a Christmas gift." Klaus said he stood setting his drawing pad down on the coffee table. "Thank you for allowing us to stay here."

Bella smiled, "No problem. Have you eaten?" At Klaus's pause she continued onto to the kitchen. "I'll make breakfast."

"Should you be cooking with your fingers?" Klaus said as he cautiously followed after her.

Bella shrugged, "I'm hoping if I just ignore the pain it'll go away."

"Why are you so caring towards, Kol?" Klaus questioned as he had been trying to figure it out for the last few hours but he couldn't come to any conclusive answer.

"It's called friendship." Bella said as she took out the ingredients to make them omelets. "You've been alive for a very long time, so I can understand that my relationship with your brother can be strange, but I find your brother to be a friend. I also think he finds it refreshing that I'm not scared of him or that I don't think at any moment he's going to turn around and kill me."

"You don't think my brother is capable of killing you?" Klaus questioned.

"I think your brother can kill me with the flick of his wrist. I'm just not scared of him." Bella said as she started cutting up some vegetables.

"Are you scared now?" Klaus questioned.

Bella shook her head, "I'm not scared of you either. I know you can kill me, I know how easy it'll be for you, but I just can't bring myself to care enough to be scared. If I die, I die, I'm not going to spend a second to worry about it."

"I find your way of thinking strange. Humans are naturally scared of death." Klaus said as he watched her curiously.

Bella smiled, "I was scared of dying, but then I died and it didn't really seem to matter that much anymore."

"You died?" Klaus responded.

Bella nodded, "I was pronounced dead for over 24 hours." Bella said with a shrug. "I woke up in a body bag. After that I didn't really fear dying, I figured if I keep fearing it I'm wasting my time on something useless. There's nothing I can do to postpone my death; I just have to do everything I can to die happy."

"How did you die?" Klaus questioned curiously.

"I was attacked in Seattle by a vampire and he fed from me." Bella said as she tilted her neck to the side to show the small silver scar. "He was a messy eater, I had to get stitches. Anyway, he thought he left me alive, but he had taken too much blood. By the time I made it to the hospital I was pronounced dead. After I woke no one knew why I didn't stay dead. I wasn't supposed to be alive and they had never seen something like what had happened to me."

"This vampire." Klaus questioned. "Is he alive?"

Bella shook her head a smirk making a way onto her face. "No, my boyfriend at the time and my step-brother killed him, they're shapeshifters so it wasn't too hard. At the time we didn't know that a stake to the heart was what it took to permanently kill your kind. It was a lot of torture before he himself told us how to kill him."

"You dated a shape shifter?" Klaus questioned amused.

Bella laughed and nodded, "For about a year or so. He was really good for me and we lasted a lot longer than either of us thought we would."

"Why did you end it with him?" Klaus questioned.

Bella smiled, "Because he wanted to stay in Washington, and I didn't. We wanted different things, it ultimately just wasn't healthy for us to continue anymore. Besides, I was 18, I was way too young to really fall in love properly. At the age, I didn't know what I wanted it, I needed to leave and he understood that."

"Do you believe you did the right thing?" Klaus questioned.

"Yes." Bella said, "I was unhappy in Forks and moving out here made me really happy. It's been four years since I left, and I own my business, have a home, I had a car. I have what I want here, there's no room for regrets."

-Page Break-

Bella walked beside Klaus as it was Christmas Eve and they were walking around a crowded mall. She moved and clung to his arm as she tried to avoid a man and his two dogs. "It's Christmas Eve, Nik." She said as she practically climbed onto him. "It's crowded, smelly and stuffy here. This is why all sane people do their shopping ahead of time.

Klaus chuckled, he put his arms on Bella's hips and lifted her easily and set her down on his other side so she was comfortably between him and the wall. "There. Stop complaining."

Bella sighed, "You know, all I wanted to do today is stay in pajamas and make Kol feel guilty for destroying my dream car."

"There's always time for that and Rebekah has made it clear she wanted something from here so I'm going to get it for her before she throws a tantrum." Klaus said as he looked around.

Bella sighed, "The line at the Apple store is going to be ridiculous! Best Buy has the same one, and at a cheaper price." She whined as she knew Rebekah wanted a laptop. She paused as her phone rang, she pulled it out her pocket and sighed as she saw the caller I.D. She pointed Klaus in the right direction and followed after him as she answered her phone. "Yes?"

"Did you miss me?" Embry questioned his usual happy tone coming through the phone.

Bella smiled, "No. Why would I?"

Embry sighed in mock annoyance. "Why aren't you coming down for Christmas? Seth just told me."

"I have other plans. People more important than you." Bella said in teasing matter as she followed Klaus into the Apple store. She took his hand and led him to the computers. "Don't take offense, after we stopped dating I stopped caring about you."

"I see." Embry said in disappoint. "And here I thought any day now you were going to come to your senses and come back and get down on one knee and ask me to marry you."

Bella laughed, "Look Em, we can discuss all the reasons I'm not going to marry you at another time. I have to buy a Christmas gift. Call you later."

"Fine." Embry said. "I'll be sitting by the phone all day, Bells."

"Goodbye." Bella said hanging up the phone and putting it in her back pocket. She looked around and found the laptop Rebekah wanted. She smirked widely as the case was unlock, she grabbed one and handed it to Klaus. "DONE!" She said in happiness.

"This is what she was complaining about?" Klaus said looking at the small box.

Bella nodded, "Kol has the same one. I'm assuming that Kol wouldn't let her use his so she wanted one of her own." Bella smirked widely. "That's how regular siblings usually work, nik."

Klaus looked to Bella as she headed off. "Where are you going?"

"I haven't bought your siblings gifts." Bella said, "I mean I did already get them something, but I wanted to add something to it." She kneeled down and grabbed two sets of Dre Headphones. "There. All set."

Klaus watched amused as the same man with the dogs passed causing Bella to once again cling to his shirt. "Not a fan of dogs?"

Bella shook her head. "Bad childhood experience. I mean, vamps, wolves, and shifters I can handle, but dogs make me want to crawl out of my skin."

Klaus chuckled as he watched Bella speed up in order to get away. He followed more than amused to see the way she acted around the dogs.

-Page Break-

Klaus looked up from his drawing pad as he heard the door to his room creak open. He smiled a genuine smile as he saw Bella walk over to him. As soon as she was inches away from him he lifted her up so she was settled in his lap. "What are you doing?"

Bella smirked, and slightly ran her hands through Klaus's hair. "Couldn't sleep." She announced with a smile. "I remembered that you barely get any sleep, so I wanted to see if you were still awake."

"Something on your mind?" Klaus questioned as enjoyed the way her fingers combed through his hair.

Bella shook her head and smiled. "Not really." She leaned down and tenderly kissed his lips. She pulled back and rested her hands on his shoulder. "Can you just hold me tonight?"

Klaus nodded his head. "Whatever you wish, Isabella."

Bella smiled, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. She tangled her hands in his hair and deepened the kiss between them. She pulled back and rested her head on his shoulder. She smiled as she felt his arms wrap around her tightly.

Klaus felt Bella sag against him and kissed her cheek. He moved so she was lying down beside him, he reached over and turned off the lamp and laid himself down beside her. He took in the perfect way her body seemed to mold into his. He closed his eyes not wanting to fall asleep, but just wanting to take in the moment.

Klaus opened his eyes an hour later as he felt Bella shifting around. He looked at her as she shifted around, a smile came upon his face as she turned to face him, her hands coming to rest on his chest as she pulled herself closer. He leaned down and kissed her head hearing her soft sigh when his lips came in contact with her skin.

"Nik…" Bella mumbled in her sleep as she hugged him impossibly closer.

Klaus ran his hand through her hair feeling her calm slightly at the gesture. Even in her sleep he found that he could have some sort of effect on her.

-Page Break-

Klaus entered Bella's work, heading straight to where he caught her scent. It had been 4 months since Christmas and he hadn't gone a day without spending time with her. He found that after the first night of having her sleep in his bed, he enjoyed having her there. Something about seeing her in her most peaceful and vulnerable state made him want to be with her more.

He smirked as he saw Bella's shoes sticking out from underneath a truck. He leaned against the wall and watched her work. He looked around and noticed that it was relatively empty and that usually meant it was closing time and Bella was going to be close to finishing up.

Klaus smirked as Bella slid out from underneath the car, her jumpsuit was unbuttoned and tied around her waist to keep it from sliding off. Her grey tank top covered in oil. "Isn't the purpose of a uniform for safety? Why do you unbutton it?"

Bella stood and smiled, "It's hot being under the hood of a car fall day. Besides, I'm the owner I can do whatever the hell I want." She turned and closed the hood of the truck. "What are you doing here?"

"My siblings and Jeremy have decided to go waste time at the movies. I came to see if you wanted to have dinner with me." Klaus said as he watched Bella wipe her hands on a rag.

Bella turned to him and grinned. "I'd love to. Just let me wash my hands and get out of my work clothes. You can wait in my office; it'll only be a minute."

Klaus reached out and took a hold of her hand as she went to walk past him. He leaned down and kissed her, it was a bit rougher than he intended it to be, but he couldn't help it. He enjoyed seeing her breathless from a kiss. He pulled back and smiled as she took in a deep breath. "Don't take long, love."

Bella smiled and with an amused smile she went to the restroom to wash up.

Klaus sat down in Bella's chair behind her desk and looked as there were only two photos on her desk. The first was her at a younger point in her life and whom he suspected where her friends back in Washington around her. The second was the picture they had taken on New Year's eve.

Klaus looked up as he heard loud footsteps approaching the door. He turned to the door just as a man in a suit entered. Klaus stood not having met this man before, but the man was obviously here before if the secretary let him through.

"I apologize; I wasn't aware Bella was with a client." The man said smirking lightly. "There's usually no one here this late."

Klaus looked at him curiously but didn't answer as he could already hear Bella approaching. He turned his head to look at her as she entered, she was running her hands through her hair to get out the tangles from the pony tail she was wearing.

Bella paused as she entered her office. She looked to Klaus before looking at the other man. "Johnny?"

He turned and smiled charmingly at Bella. "Hello, Bella sweetheart. I wasn't aware you would be with a client so late."

Bella furrowed her brow. "He's not a client." She said a more than confused look on her face. "I don't want to be rude, but what are you doing here?"

"I've been re-assigned back to San Diego. I was hoping you and I would be able to have dinner and catch up." Johnny said with a warm smile.

Bella smiled politely. "I'm terribly sorry, but Klaus and I have plans for dinner."

Johnny's smile didn't falter, "That's alright, Bella sweetheart. I suppose I'll just have to call tomorrow so we can set something up."

Bella nodded still stunned, "Of course." She became startled as he quickly hugged her before leaving the room. She looked to Klaus in surprise. "That was incredibly strange."

"You knew him?" Klaus questioned as he tried to contain the anger that was rising in him.

Bella nodded as she grabbed her bag and her sunglasses. "Yeah, we dated for about 4 months before he moved and we ended things. That was about a week before Jeremy came to live with me. He was my attempt to be normal and date a human." Bella glanced up at Klaus as he hadn't moved. "Nik." She stated softly. "He was a fling. Nothing that ever became serious, when he got the job offer I pushed him to go because it was the easiest way for me to justify breaking up with him. Can we still go get dinner?"

Klaus smirked, "Do you have any place in mind, love?"

Bella smiled widely. "I'm okay with getting anything."

-Page Break-

Bella turned to Klaus as she saw the envelope in his hand, by the matching one in her hand she knew he had been invited to the Mystic Falls graduation. It was less than a week away, and she was already planning to head to Seattle the next day to attend Embry's University Gradation along with Seth's.

She watched him curiously as she knew that the invitation had to have come from Caroline. Someone that she knew Klaus felt deeply for. She smiled as Jeremy looked genuinely happy to the idea of attending the graduation. She helped him book a flight, booking spots for the three Mikaelson's as well. She caught Klaus's eye and gave him a small smile before returning to her task.

Their intimate relationship had been kept between them as it really hadn't become anything official. Bella felt a pain in her chest as she knew that she was in love with Klaus, but she also knew that he was in love with Caroline and the last thing she wanted was to keep him away from someone that could make him happy.

Bella took in a deep breath as she finished packing her flight annoyingly was scheduled for 5 in the morning and Kol had already volunteered with Jeremy to take her to the airport. Klaus and Rebekah staying behind for the sole reason that they didn't fit in Jeremy's car. They would leave in a couple hours so she had to make this quick. As quietly as she could she walked across the hall to Klaus's room.

She opened the door and smiled as he was on his bed sketch pad in hand as he usually was. She smiled as he stood and blurred over to her. "I just wanted to talk." She said quietly as he cupped her cheeks.

"About?" Klaus questioned as he knew something was bothering her.

"I wanted you to know that I understand and you don't have to feel any sort of guilt." Bella said she reached up and brushed her hand through his hair. "I can understand that you love Caroline, Nik. I can see that you do want to go and see her and I know that some part of you hopes that she loves you. I think you deserve to be in love."

"Isabella." Klaus began to interrupt but he stopped slightly amused as she put her hand over his mouth.

"It's rude to interrupt someone when they're giving you a heartfelt speech." Bella said with a small smile. "I love you, Nik. I want you to be happy, even if it's not with me. This." Bella said gesturing between them. "It's okay to end whatever it is we're doing in order for you to be happy with Caroline."

Klaus stood stunned as her words registered in his head. He looked down at her as she stood on the tips of her toes to kiss his cheek.

"Good luck, Nik." She whispered with a small smile as she backed out of his room.

Klaus opened the door to say anything to her. He did feel something for Caroline, but he felt something for her too. He went to tell her but stopped as he heard Jeremy talking lowly with her. They were discussing some old childhood memories and he didn't want to interrupt. He closed the door to his room and walked back to his bed he picked up his drawing pad to finish the drawing of Bella he had bene working of. It was one of the dozens that filled his sketch pad.

-Page Break-

Bella grinned as she saw her welcoming party at the Seattle airport. She rushed to them instantly engulfing Seth in a hug. "Hey, pup!" Bella said excitedly as she squeezed him as hard as she could.

"It's good to have you back, Bella." Seth said with a smile as she pulled back from him.

"I missed you, Seth!" Bella said as she looked at him noticing the slight changes in his appearance. She turned and a smile reached her lips as she saw Embry. They might've broken up, but he was still her friend. "Em!"

Embry smiled and easily caught Bella as she jumped to hug him. "Missed you, Bells."

Bella grinned widely and hugged him tightly. "I didn't miss you, Em." She teased as she held onto him. "Not at all, I don't really care about seeing you."

Embry laughed, "I can personally say that I did really miss your annoying self. You need to visit more."

Bella pulled back and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really feel like it." She smiled as Seth already had her bags in his hands. She followed the two of them to the car and heard their constant chattering about their lives.

"Are you going to propose marriage to me, Bells?" Embry teased as he set her bags down in his room of the apartment he shared with Seth.

Bella laughed and sat down on his bed. "No, Em, I'm not going to propose to you. I don't think you understand that you're officially forever stuck in the friend zone."

Embry smiled, "So, who's the guy you're leaving me for?"

Bella smiled sadly. "That easy to tell?"

Embry shrugged, "I happen to know you better than you think. What's the guy's name?"

Bella sighed she laid back on his bed and looked up at the ceiling. "I'm an idiot, Em. I fell in love with someone I knew could never love me back properly."

Embry laid down beside her and looked up at the ceiling. "Alright, Bells. We've got an hour before Seth makes it back with our food. Start spilling your guts to me."

Bella turned to him and smiled. "Okay, Em."

-Page Break-

Bella stood in the audience between Leah and her dad who was clutching onto Sue's hand. She shouted at the top of her lungs as Seth's name was called. She clapped excitedly as he walked, she felt tears in her eyes as he grabbed his degree.

Bella sat back down and waited for Embry to get his degree as well. She stood again and shouted as loud as she could when Embry's name was called. She clapped and water swelled in her eyes as she watched him proudly grab his degree. She sat back down and smiled as Leah handed her a tissue. "Thanks."

Leah smiled, "Your welcome. Are you doing okay?" She whispered in return.

Bella looked at Leah curiously. "What are you talking about?"

"You and Embry. We all figured you got back together." Leah said quietly.

Bella shook her head, "No. We're friends, Leah. That's all we've been for the past four years."

Leah nodded, "Just making sure."

Bella smiled, "Thanks for caring, Leah."

"Don't let it go to your head." Leah responded as she leaned back.

Bella smiled and went back to watching the graduation. She felt her phone vibrate and took it out of the bag. Klaus's name flashed on the screen, but she couldn't bring herself to answer it. She put it back into her bag and watched the graduation.

As soon as she could Bella went off to find Embry and Seth with Leah. She smiled and hugged them both as soon as she saw them. "Congratulations!"

Leah smirked, "Charlie and Sue said they'd see you tomorrow for the party down at the Res. They said they'd leave today for you two to get drunk and celebrate!"

Embry grinned put his arms around Leah and Bella. "Let's go get Drunk!"

-Page Break-

Klaus put his hands in his pocket as he made his way towards Caroline, something just didn't feel right to be here. He looked as the blonde walked up to him with a wide smile on her face. "Congratulations."

Caroline grinned, "Thank you! I didn't think you were going to make it! I'm really glad to see that you did."

Klaus nodded, "I was quite surprised to receive an invitation."

"I wanted to see you." Caroline admitted as she batted her eyes at him. "I wanted to tell you that I think I'm in love you. I think we can really make things work."

Klaus stood stunned as this was what he wanted to hear, but it didn't settle right with him. He paused and went over her words, she _thought_ she was in love with him. He shook his head a smirk twitching on his lips. "That's a real shame." He said as his smirk increased. "I don't really feel the same, I've found someone more worth my time. I do wish you luck in your future."

Klaus turned and walked away feeling suddenly relieved and now everything seemed clearer in his mind and his heart. He reached for his phone, but paused as he knew Bella would probably be asleep at the moment. He paused as he saw his brother walking towards him with a smirk on his face. "What have you done, Kol?"

Kol smirked, "I haven't done a thing, brother." He paused and looked amused. "Except hear what you said to the blonde. You're in love with Bella?"

Klaus sighed and walked past Kol making his way back to the car. "What are you talking about?"

"It's obvious," Kol said as he followed after his brother. "Or at least it was to me. Bella doesn't really cry, but at the airport she did. I thought it was because she was leaving. But then it struck me that you didn't come down the stairs to say goodbye. After that everything sort of just fell into place, she was crying because she was leaving you. Now, I don't see why she would cry over you when I'm much more important."

Klaus ignored his brother and got into his car. He looked over as Kol got in as well, "Kol, if you're going to get on my nerves, exist the car now."

Kol smirked, "If I get out of the car you won't be able to make it to the airport for our flight that leaves in a few hours to Washington."

"Our?" Klaus questioned in return.

"Well of course," Kol said smiling as he saw Rebekah and Jeremy approaching. "You didn't think we would let you go alone? We're all bored here anyway, it's not quite the same without Bella. She seems to make things a lot more interesting."

Jeremy got into the backseat. "Alright, I'm ready to go. I told Elena I had plans to go see Charlie so she didn't question much. Let's go before she spots me in the car with you three and tries to force me to stay."

Klaus sighed, "Is this necessary? Do all four of us have to leave?"

Rebekah smiled sweetly. "I'll be staying, so it'll only be the three of you. Now hurry, you need to grab your bags before you go."

Hours later Klaus sat at the airport, none of them had heard from Bella and he needed to know she was okay. In an attempt to reach her he called her. He anxiously waited for her to answer but had no luck. He sighed as his call went to voicemail. It would only be a few hours before he landed and he could see her again. That was if his flight didn't get delayed again.

-Page Break-

Bella walked behind Seth as they made their way to the dealership. He was planning to get some car he had his eye on and she was tagging along to take a look of it. She groaned as she was hungover and the coffee in her hand wasn't helping. She pulled her sunglasses down to cover her eyes from the sun, she was moments away from leaving.

She looked at the truck Seth led her too. She handed him her coffee and got down to take a close look under the car. She crawled back out and looked to Seth. "No." She said simply shaking her head. "This thing won't last you a year. I can already tell it's going to break down on you." She smiled as the hood was already open and she peeked her head inside. She looked through everything and was disgusted in how bad of shape the car was in. "No way in hell are you getting this piece of shit, Seth." Bella said shaking her head. "Take a look around and pick a new car, because this truck isn't worth the money."

Seth sighed, "Alright, let's see what else there is around here."

Bella grabbed her coffee from him as he left. She too began to look around maybe she'd finally find something to replace her crashed car with. She took sip of her coffee and spotted the motorcycle dealership across the street. Not being able to stop herself she walked over and began to take a look around. She ran her hand along a bike that really caught her eye.

"That's the kawasaki ninja h2r." A man said approaching her.

Bella nodded, "I'm well aware of what it is." She replied as she looked it over, she looked at the man and smiled. It wouldn't be too hard to flirt with him in order to get a good deal.

Seth looked around and almost laughed as he saw Bella approaching him an hour later. A bike helmet in her hand. "What have you done?"

Bella grinned widely. "I bought myself a gift."

Seth shook his head. "I don't want to know. I still have the advantage of telling Charlie I didn't know what you did. I found a car I liked, come take a look at it."

Bella smiled she handed Seth her coffee and just as she did the truck she took to inspecting the car. "Okay." She said with a smile. "This one is good enough to take for a test run."

-Page Break-

Klaus sighed as it was mid-afternoon as they finally made it to Seattle and they still had a drive ahead of them if they wanted to make it to Forks soon. Jeremy had already called his uncle to let him know he was in town with some friends. Charlie had let them know they were at the beach on the reservation celebrating and they were more than welcome to stop by.

Klaus let Kol drive knowing his brother was a bit of a speeder and they would get there in no time.

Bella smiled as she got off her motorcycle and was greeted by her old friends. She hugged them all greeting the new imprints and everyone else that had joined in on the festivities. She paused as she came upon Jacob.

Even after all those years they still weren't on speaking terms. He had never truly gotten over the fact that she would rather be with Embry than with him. She simply nodded and turned her head to join Seth and Embry in their celebrating.

Bella stepped back a couple hours later. She put her hand to her chest and turned around walking down the beach. She walked until the noise from the party couldn't be heard. She sighed and looked out towards the beach. She took a seat in the sand she kicked off her shoes and buried her feet in the sand. She brought her knees up to her chest and rested her head against them.

"Hey." Leah said taking a seat beside her. "Something on your mind?"

Bella shook her head a small smile on her face. "Just wanted a moment of peace. I don't get to just hear the water like this. It's peaceful, it reminds me of when we used to come down here so often. You know, before we all became adults and everything was more serious."

"Something troubling you?" Leah questioned.

"Just the usual." Bella said with a small smile. "I suck at falling in love."

"Well you always did have the strangest taste in men," Leah said laughing lightly.

Bella smiled, "I know, but I think this time I really fucked things up. I fell in love too hard and I don't think I'm going to be the same anymore. He just made me happy, a lot happier than I thought I could ever be. It just hurts to try and accept that it was unrequited love."

Leah handed Bella a blanket. "You're a lot stronger now than you were before. You can push past this."

Bella took the blanket and smiled tears swelling in her eyes. "That's the thing." Bella said softly. "I don't think I want to push past him. Even if he never returns my love, I don't want to stop loving him. I rather feel this love that brings pain than feel nothing at all. It's quite confusing."

Leah smiled, "If he's worth your time he'll love you the way you deserve. Try not to stay here too long, Seth and Embry don't know when to stop drinking and you're the only one who can really put a stop to them."

Bella laughed lightly, "I'll go back in a few. I just want to listen for a while."

Leah nodded, "Don't think too much, you'll drive yourself crazy. Do you remember how long it took Embry to convince you to date him? All it took for you to fall in love with him was for you to let go of the leech. Maybe that's what's wrong. This guy just has to let go of whatever is holding him back."

Bella smiled, "Thank you." She said as Leah turned to leave.

She turned back to look at the waves as the crashed against the shore. She stood spotted a boulder that was at the perfect length for her to dip her toes in. She stood and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders as she climbed the boulder and let her feet dangle off the edge letting the water hit her.

Minutes passed as she took in a deep breath and stood. She left her phone on the carrier compartment of her bag and she felt it was time to return Klaus's call.

She climbed off the rock and walked over to her shoes she paused and turned around turning back to the party. Her hands shook as she saw a pair of dogs. "Just my fucking luck!" She hissed as she tried to back up only to have the two dogs bare their teeth at her and snarl. She wanted to scream for Embry as he was one of the few people that really understood her phobia to dogs, but she couldn't get anything to come out. She took a step back and went to cover her face as she saw the dogs prepare to launch themselves at her.

Bella opened her eyes and sighed as the dogs had disappeared. She turned to walk back to the party but stopped as she saw Klaus standing just a couple feet away from her. She smiled lightly. "Now I understand why the dogs ran away." She wrapped the blanket around herself tighter as she stared into Klaus's eyes. She blinked and looked down at the ground needing to avoid his gaze.

"You were crying." Klaus stated stepping forward as he could smell the scent of fresh tears on her.

"I was." Bella stated quietly. "Not that long ago."

Klaus moved his hand to cup her cheek, he tipped her chin up so she looked at him. He moved his thumb across her cheek being able to see where her tears slid down her cheeks. "Why were you crying?"

"I'm an emotional wreck?" Bella questioned with a small smile. "What are you doing here?"

Klaus smirked, "I wanted to see you. You weren't answering your phone and I became worried."

Bella smiled, "I got really distracted. You called during the graduation so I didn't want to answer and miss anything. I was about to go back to the party to call you back, but I left my phone with my bike."

Klaus looked at her curiously. "You got a motorcycle?"

Bella grinned, "Yeah, this morning. Let me show it to you."

Klaus stopped her as she sent to walk past him. "I want to speak to you."

Bella nodded dread filling her at what he might say to her. "Nik… is this really necessary?"

Klaus nodded watching as she prepared herself for what he was about to say. He understood that she probably thought he was going to tell her something about Caroline and he supposed that he was actually going to do that. "It is. You have to let me speak, Isabella."

"Okay." She responded quietly steeling herself for whatever he might say.

"Caroline told me that she loved me." He began, "I came to the realization that I wasn't in love with her."

Bella's wide eyes turned to look at him completely taken back by what he had said. "You're not?"

"I knew when you came into my room that I felt something strongly for you. It wasn't until Caroline's confession I was able to realize exactly what it was." Klaus said he kept his hand on Bella's hip keeping her in place. His other hand went to rest on her neck. He leaned down and gently grazed his lips against hers. He deepened the kiss when he felt her react to him. Her hands going around his neck to pull him closer.

Klaus slowly pulled away from her resting his forehead against hers taking in the small breaths she let out as she tried to get her breathing to steady. "I love you, Isabella." He whispered to her quietly needing her to know that he was hers.

Bella moved so her head rested against his chest as she held him tightly. Silent tears rolling down her cheeks at his words and the very last thing she wanted was for him to see her cry. She closed her eyes as he pulled her back a soft sigh escaped her as she felt his thumbs wipe away her tears. "I love you, Nik."


End file.
